Philippines: Clashes between army and Abu Sayyaf islamic militants leave 14 dead
Philippine elite troops backed by helicopter gunships have fought al-Qaeda-linked militants in the group’s stronghold on a southern island, in clashes that killed 14 people, the military said.
The soldiers battled Islamic extremists from the Abu Sayyaf group on the troubled island of Basilan, with the fighting leaving at least nine soldiers and five militants dead.
The group, which was founded in the 1990s with seed money from then al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history including deadly bombings and kidnappings for ransom.
Eleven soldiers and at least five insurgents were also wounded in the clashes, which started when Abu Sayyaf gunmen attacked rubber plantation workers, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang.